Three teachers reviewing Portland's happy hours. Like most teachers, we don't have a lot of money to throw around on fancy dinners, but that doesn't mean that we don't really, really want to. Happy hour gives us the opportunity to try new places and sample new foods without spending much cash.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Salvador Molly's

1573 SW Sunset BlvdHappy Hour: 4 - 6 PM

Pirate food! Or at least that's what I've always called it. My first visit to Salvador Molly's was at the other location (that has since closed) on Belmont. I remember having very spicy mac and cheese. Very spicy, of course, according to my spice index. According to my spice index, what Salvador Molly's is really known for--the great balls of fire--would be COMPLETELY off the chart. There are five to a plate and if you (just you) finish the entire plate--along with the spicy sauce--you can get your picture up on the Wall of Flame. (You might also suffer from a spicy hangover the next day.) I will never make it on that wall. In fact, I wouldn't even make it on the cheesy poof wall--if they had one. Those things are spicy enough for me...and they are barely spicy.

Living within walking distance of the only Salvador Molly's left in town means that I am quickly getting to know the menu. I have my favorite dish so far...and a favorite drink. Until this past weekend, though, I hadn't ever been for happy hour. But I will definitely go again (for sure, because I live so close...but also because of the great deals they offer). Two dollar food items and three dollar drink specials. That's pretty fantastic. And it's not like there are just a couple of food items listed at that price...they are ALL two dollars.

I ordered the quinoa salad. It's served on a plate of black beans and has all kinds of flavors mixed in. With any quinoa salad, though, it's the texture that I love best. Plus, it's super fresh and makes me feel like I've just made a healthy choice (which doesn't always happen at happy hour).

My fiance had the pulled pork sliders. There were three to the plate and they were super cute, as all sliders are. No coleslaw, though. I guess for two dollars, you can't be too selective.

To share, we also had the fried apples. The menu said they used a tempura batter, but it didn't seem fluffy enough to be tempura to me. It was more cornmeal-y. And there was enough curry mixed in the batter that the apples were hardly even recognizable. I still like them, though. And the dipping sauce added an extra layer of flavors, making it a fun item to share (but not something I would want to select on its own if I were planning for happy hour to be my dinner).

The three dollar drink special of the day was a margarita. According to the regular drink menu, I was getting quite a savings (even more so, knowing that they make their own sour mix).

Service was pretty fantastic...although I'm almost surprised that some of the servers can keep up like they do in such cramped quarters. It's like a maze in there. It was also super hot (mid nineties outside...and something close to that inside, I'm sure). Very impressive, I say.

And then there's the decor. If you've never been to Salvador Molly's, be prepared to be distracted. There are SO many things to look at. Just from the pictures of the food, I'm sure you can see that almost every square inch is covered with something. There are maps and postcards and pictures and fantastic treasures from across the world.